Great British Weekend: Anglesey, Wales

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The castle at Beaumaris, built by Edward 1st on the island of Anglesey, North Wales, UKphotolibrary.com

Stephen McClarence

Last updated at 2:52PM, October 24 2013

Prince William and Kate Middleton love the village of Rhoscolyn - but this part of the world appeals to all honeymooners

High above us, an RAF helicopter roars past. “You never know, that might be
William,” says Idwal Jones, as we turn off the main road into a lane that
twists and turns and then twists a great deal more.

We’re on Anglesey, the suddenly famous island off the North Wales coast, on
the lookout for its latest tourist attraction: the gastropub where Prince
William and his bride-to-be, Kate Middleton, are reported to be regulars.

Somewhere down this lane, in the village of Rhoscolyn, is the White Eagle,
where William reputedly enjoys burgers and chips while Kate goes for fish
and salad. Just across the sands is RAF Valley, where Flight Lieutenant
Wales will be stationed for another three years.

Jones, who runs the aptly named Country Lane Tours, steers us past a solid
Congregational church and left at a sign for “shellfish”. And here it is,
the White Eagle, smart and modern, with log fires in the snugs and glorious
views of the misty, snow-capped mountains of Snowdonia across the Menai
Strait. The royal engagement has boosted business. Tracy Muir, the manager,
reports that journalists are spending all evening in the bar in the hope
that the prince will stroll in.

It’s late afternoon. Jones, whose enterprising Welsh tours often include male
voice choir rehearsals, takes me to the Bull Hotel, where Prince William has
reportedly taken part in pub quizzes. It’s closed, so we drive on to
Beaumaris, the best-known town on Anglesey.

Jones takes a measured view of this new royal angle on Anglesey. “William
comes over as a very nice, down-to-earth fellow,” he says. “But we’re not
overwhelmed by the fact that he’s here. People don’t go out looking for him;
why should we intrude into his life?”

Beaumaris is an enchanting, old-fashioned little town with a trim pier and an
upmarket — and, some say, rather English — atmosphere. The shore is lined
with smart Georgian and Victorian terraces. Curtains are often left open in
the evening to reveal lofty rooms with chandeliers and ornately framed
pictures. I’ve seen worse-stocked art galleries.

The cards in newsagents’ windows advertise “Broadwood grand piano (1901) for
sale to a good home” . It’s like a Welsh Aldeburgh, with a great sense of
wellbeing and a celebrated moated castle: not the most awe-inspiring of
Edward I’s castles, but probably the most perfect. Many of Anglesey’s
visitors speed straight across the island to Holyhead to catch the Dublin
ferry. Better, though, to turn down any of the roads radiating from Thomas
Telford’s great Menai Suspension Bridge, one of two links with the mainland,
to explore the rugged coast and gentle landscape of an island whose widest
point is only 25 miles.

There’s charm at every turn, with pastel-painted cottages and lanes bordered
by high hedgerows. Cattle wander tranquilly across the shining mudflats of
Aberffraw Estuary.

After Oriel Ynys Môn, an art gallery and heritage centre with an excellent
café, we visit Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch,
the village with the longest place name in Britain. We climb a
gorse-scattered hill to a chambered cairn and stroll across sandy coves,
where Jones evokes a Famous Five-like world: “In summer, it’s all rock pools
and kids fishing for crabs.”

And at South Stack, we survey the cliffs where thousands of seabirds roost in
season. Today there’s silence, apart from one screeching gull. “People who
live in cities come here for the silence as well as for the sights,” Jones
says.

Nowhere is more magical than Newborough Warren, where forest gives way to
dunes and then a broad, shimmering beach patrolled by oystercatchers. A
mountain panorama stretches across the horizon past Llanddwyn Island, where
wild ponies wander. A legend from the 5th century has it that Llanddwyn
sometimes is called “the island of love”. Ideal for honeymoon strolls,
whether royal or not.

Stephen McClarence

Need to know

Bed down and chow down at The Bull’s Head, Beaumaris (01248 810329, bullsheadinn.co.uk),
which dates from the 15th century. The main building has recently been
joined by an offshoot; the bright, boutiquey Townhouse. B&B doubles from
£100 a night (£120 at the Townhouse). Vast main courses at the brasserie
(from £9-£14) include Moroccan fish stew, spiced roast quail and minced
asparagus and pea risotto.Burgers at the White Eagle (01407 860267) cost
£12.50.